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Slow Apocalypse John Varley 9780441017577 Books

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Slow Apocalypse John Varley 9780441017577 Books

Varley's Hollywood-mega-disaster novel begins, appropriately, with a Hollywood screenwriter looking for a good storyline to fuel his comeback. Dave Marshall and his crew of writers had been responsible for a sit-com called "Ants," which lasted just long enough to give the Marshall family a taste for the luxurious life in the Hollywood Hills. When he learns of an impending disaster (a bacteria spreading through the world distills the explosive fractions from crude oil deposits underground, making it both explosive and unpumpable), Marshall warns his "Ants" posse and his daughter, but conceals his expensive survival-prep from his wife.

That in itself could trigger a disaster, but the reality of the crisis intervenes in the family drama when LA's Doheny oil field (sometimes called the "Beverley Hills Oil Field") explodes. This is followed by widespread catastrophic fires. Gasoline rationing. Earthquakes. Gang violence. And the hits just keep coming...

My spouse usually loves John Varley, but has an engineer's distaste for continually-pyramiding disaster, so I was reluctant to offer "Slow Apocalypse." We had divided reactions just over a year before to "The Martian" The Martian (Mass Market MTI): A Novel. I loved it. My spouse, on the other hand, put the novel down about halfway through, saying, "Too many problems. Every time Mark Watney solved one, another cropped up."

There is a similar compounding of complications in Varley's novel—so much so that I had trouble staying absorbed in the story; I began watching for the next calamity whenever the Marshall family seemed to be about to escape the current one. On the other hand, the characters have a sincere reality that carries the tale. There are no supermen here, and most of the folks Marshall meets as he tries to get his friends and family to safety are true-to-life, neither all evil nor shining pure.

I was also encouraged by Varley's resisting the impulse to give in to the pull of political consiracy. There are suggestions of it, but nothing that could not equally be explained as spin or stupidity. In the isolating havoc of the post-apocalypse bubble around the Marshall group, it becomes increasingly obvious that "all politics is local."

The undercurrent of meaning (material wealth is ashes in the wind, but love and friendship prevails despite disaster) is lightly maintained, sometimes overwhelmed by the narrative of collapse and social cataclysm. Yet the message persists. Cling to what is real, Varley tells us. Survival and happiness both lie there.


Tags : Slow Apocalypse [John Varley] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Despite wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as 9/11, the United States’ dependence on foreign oil has kept the nation tied to the Middle East. A scientist has developed a cure for America’s addiction—a slow-acting virus that feeds on petroleum,John Varley,Slow Apocalypse,Ace,0441017576,Science Fiction - Action & Adventure,FICTION Science Fiction Adventure.,Petroleum industry and trade;Fiction.,Suspense fiction.,AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,Fiction,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction Science Fiction Action & Adventure,Fiction-Science Fiction,GENERAL,General Adult,Petroleum industry and trade,Science Fiction,Science Fiction - Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic,United States,VARLEY, JOHN - PROSE & CRITICISM,bisacsh

Slow Apocalypse John Varley 9780441017577 Books Reviews

Only thing I've read by John Varley that has bored me.
Don't listen to the nays. This book is incredible and possibly a necessary read for those living in a bubble like me. It's a big "What If". Done with Varley's usual in your face style. You feel like you are in the middle of this crowd of refugees. Varley is kinder than usual here. I think because of the topic. It's a Requiem..Because this time it's not science fiction. It's fiction. Hopefully....
Well, this was a scary read. However, I was a little disappointed at first, that the story primarily takes place in southern California. If you haven't been there, the story could be even less impactful. It's a good story though, and lots of useful information should a couple of disasters happen in your area. It made me rethink what I've done for disaster preparedness. It's also a very believable plot. I hope we never see any of it occur. The overall story is an attention holder, and I had to put it down several times to take a break from the tension. I highly recommend the book.
Google maps helped me to understand what goes on in this book. I have driven through LA one time and developed a dislike for the place right away. Yeah, people complain about all the geography but it's necessary for plot development. I enjoyed the read and the characters.
Since I've felt that our society is becoming a house of cards just waiting for any one of many apocalyptic scenarios to show up, Apocalypse kinda sorta helped me gain more insight into how it may be if the electricity goes off and everything stops. I like where I'm living if it happens and can't imagine being in any sort of urban setting, much less Los Angeles.
An interesting take on apocalypse fiction, far more brlievable than the more extremist qua libertarian takes on it (yes hello Niven & pournelle). While I miss the brilliant world building of his other works (for obvious reasons of verisimilitude), this still had thd rich engaging characters his pen always draws out and the deft plotting & engaging storytelling - eschewing the common excessss if dpi calypso fiction

I did find the chauvinism of the central couple quite staggering - but I guess upper class white America is still like that - the idea that mommy could look for a job when times get financially tight being so inconceivable that it never gets a thought (not that I ascribe that mode of thinking to Varley himself, just to the character he's constructing)
It is great blessing to live in a time of plenty for the human race. People think that the time of plenty will last forever. They forget that this time of plenty has lasted for almost a hundred years now in the USA and other westernized countries. However, the natural condition of the human race is borderline starvation caused by famines and/or wars.

What would happen if that balance is upstaged in the USA? John Varley examines the case where a biologist invents a bacterium that turns crude oil reservoirs into sludge by combining regular oil molecules. Allof a sudden, there is zero oil worldwide.

My thoughts on the book? Excellent. John Varley moves well from space opera to apocalyptic novels.

My thoughts on the topic? Have resources allowing you and your family to live for three months minimum. Canned foods work well here as they do not require cooking. Water storage is tricky but a swimming pool might work. Two guns for each member of the family plus 10,000 rounds of ammo is also a necessity. Have a bugout plan. Don't store gasoline (unless you have a totally enclosed pressurized tank like an old propane tank) but do have several empty five gallon cans that you can fill if you get nervous. After all, once the emergency passes you can use the gasoline in your car at will. And have a place that you can go to.
Varley's Hollywood-mega-disaster novel begins, appropriately, with a Hollywood screenwriter looking for a good storyline to fuel his comeback. Dave Marshall and his crew of writers had been responsible for a sit-com called "Ants," which lasted just long enough to give the Marshall family a taste for the luxurious life in the Hollywood Hills. When he learns of an impending disaster (a bacteria spreading through the world distills the explosive fractions from crude oil deposits underground, making it both explosive and unpumpable), Marshall warns his "Ants" posse and his daughter, but conceals his expensive survival-prep from his wife.

That in itself could trigger a disaster, but the reality of the crisis intervenes in the family drama when LA's Doheny oil field (sometimes called the "Beverley Hills Oil Field") explodes. This is followed by widespread catastrophic fires. Gasoline rationing. Earthquakes. Gang violence. And the hits just keep coming...

My spouse usually loves John Varley, but has an engineer's distaste for continually-pyramiding disaster, so I was reluctant to offer "Slow Apocalypse." We had divided reactions just over a year before to "The Martian" The Martian (Mass Market MTI) A Novel. I loved it. My spouse, on the other hand, put the novel down about halfway through, saying, "Too many problems. Every time Mark Watney solved one, another cropped up."

There is a similar compounding of complications in Varley's novel—so much so that I had trouble staying absorbed in the story; I began watching for the next calamity whenever the Marshall family seemed to be about to escape the current one. On the other hand, the characters have a sincere reality that carries the tale. There are no supermen here, and most of the folks Marshall meets as he tries to get his friends and family to safety are true-to-life, neither all evil nor shining pure.

I was also encouraged by Varley's resisting the impulse to give in to the pull of political consiracy. There are suggestions of it, but nothing that could not equally be explained as spin or stupidity. In the isolating havoc of the post-apocalypse bubble around the Marshall group, it becomes increasingly obvious that "all politics is local."

The undercurrent of meaning (material wealth is ashes in the wind, but love and friendship prevails despite disaster) is lightly maintained, sometimes overwhelmed by the narrative of collapse and social cataclysm. Yet the message persists. Cling to what is real, Varley tells us. Survival and happiness both lie there.